Industry News

Graham Plumbers’ Merchant welcomes new Boiler Plus regs

Under the new Boiler Plus regulations, from 6th April 2018 all new domestic gas boilers installed in England must have a minimum energy efficiency of 92%.

The new legislation, which will be incorporated into Approved Document L of the Building Regulations, also requires an additional energy saving device or technology to be fitted with every combi boiler installed.

Depending on the system and the needs of the home this requirement can be fulfilled by weather compensation, load compensation, a flue gas heat recovery system or a smart control with automation and optimisation functions.

“At Graham we have been tracking the progress of these standards carefully and have welcomed the announcement,” explained Andrew Clarke, Senior Category Manager at Graham Plumbers’ Merchant. “While improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, and homes in particular, has been a key focus for the industry, the adoption rate of these innovations has been limited. Awareness of the product benefits among homeowners still tends to be low and is generally seen as a ‘nice to have’.

“We believe the introduction of the Boiler Plus policy represents the driving force needed to initiate the widespread adoption of these energy saving technologies and ultimately reduce energy bills. Although there is an additional cost to implement these technologies, this is relatively small compared with the potential savings, meaning that the payback period can be as little as 12 months.”